Edwin Kotchian

Edwin Kotchian began working at St. Anthony in January 2016 as a cantor, and in November of that year accepted the position of Music Director & Organist. His duties include selecting music for Masses, directing the Joyful Voices and Children’s Choir, and playing organ for Masses, weddings, and funerals.

Outside of the parish he is a freelance musician and has produced a self-titled CD which is a 14-song collection from several different musical genres. Edwin is the vocalist on the CD with piano accompaniment from Joseph Jacovino, Jr. The project began as just a demo to send to prospective employers, but eventually evolved into a full-length album. In addition, Edwin is a freelance writer; most of his projects have been in the test-prep field including coauthoring MAT for Dummies, a guide to taking the Miller Analogies Test.

Though currently on hiatus, Edwin was also active in an indie pop band called “Of Good Air” for four years. He sang melody for the band as well as composed original music for their performances at colleges, restaurants and libraries. A few other highlights from his singing career include winning first place in back-to-back years at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Connecticut competition, feeling honored to sing at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT as a soloist with the Waterbury Chorale, and, in addition, soloing with the Connecticut Master Chorale for their 2014 Rossini and Puccini concert.

Edwin’s musical training began in 5th grade when he started playing the saxophone in the school band. That quickly developed into a passion for music and he began singing at the age of 13. Throughout high school he was involved in many instrumental and vocal ensembles as well as some musical theater. Edwin studied vocal performance at UConn and with private vocal teachers.

“Singing in church has strengthened my own faith because for me, personally, I appreciate the words of scripture more when I sing them as opposed to simply reading them. This is especially true for the verses of each week’s responsorial psalm. Since singing takes a great amount of focused attention I automatically think about the words that I am singing more than I would if I was just reading them. In addition, my practice at home gives me even more time to consider the words that I am singing. Another great thing about singing in church is that I have met so many friendly people and have the sense that I belong to a community. My favorite hymn is ‘Eternal Father, Strong to Save’ (The Navy Hymn). I love hearing this in four-part harmony and find the urgency of the lyrics moving.

Christmas is Edwin’s favorite holiday; he looks forward to Advent and the feeling of happy nostalgia he gets when hearing the familiar songs and carols of that season.

The youngest of four siblings, Edwin currently lives in Middlebury, CT. “I have a cat and a dog right now, but my most meaningful animal friend was my cat, Wicket, who I had for ten years before losing her last year.” In his free time he enjoys playing tennis, table tennis, chess, and video games. Edwin is also the organizer of a book club and social group that has events all around Connecticut.